Dear BPCWA worshipper, Those who attended our Sunday School promotion today may have noticed how the Lord has blessed our families with little ones according to His will and timing. Also, one cannot but notice how the children and teens have grown so rapidly in physical height. This also means that the time given to parents to nurture them for God is also flying by rapidly and forever lost if they do not use the time well.

Children belong to God. As we witness children being added to families according to God’s will, we must not forget that God is the Giver of life. The Psalmist reflecting on his LORD, says “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb” (Psa 139:13) and “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psa 139:14). God, being the Creator of all things, is hence the Owner of all things in this universe. Likewise, by virtue of Him being the Giver of life, He owns our children. This fact needs to sink deep into our hearts. When we read, “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine” (Psa 50:10-11), the Christian must humbly bow before Him and acknowledge that God does not only claim ownership to beasts in the field. But God also owns man, whom He created in His own image. True worship of God is when we bow down before Him in genuine acknowledgement of the fact that the Lord God Almighty is “worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev 4:11). The theology of God’s ownership of every living creature is undeniable because God asserts, “The LORD hath made all things for himself” (Pro 16:4) and “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom 11:36).

Children are for the Lord. “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward”(Psa 127:3). This meanschildren are not the property of their parents, but a bestowment for stewardship entrusted to them by God. When we say theology dictates our living, it means then that not only must every parent submit to the fact that the children they are bringing up are the Lord’s, they must indeed make choices and decisions for them in obedience to God’s Word. They may not be a spiritual child of God until regenerated in salvation, but God takes much pains to let the parents know that He has a special interest, care, and expectation of them. Even though their children were just born or not yet saved, parents were to “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine” (Exo 13:2).  God instituted the Sacrament of circumcision in the Old Testament, “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised” (Gen 17:10) to also show His expectations. If there is no special ownership and relationship God expects of children in believing families, He would not have dictated this requirement. This circumcision has now been replaced by the Sacrament of infant baptism in the New Testament. Only someone with authority over a child could command another to circumcise his child and expect that it is obeyed. A person who does not own something cannot command something to be done to it. God does not intend that parents “volunteer” or “opt” or “choose” to have their children follow God, much less for children to choose which God to worship according to their inclination. God fully intends for parents to bring up their children to worship Him as their only God because the children belong to God. A child in Christian families must be at the full disposal of God, whether saved or not. Parents are stewards that God uses to nurture, teach, and train the children that He puts in their families. Just as our money and our talents are only put in our hands to be used for His purposes, God has placed children in families for parents to bring them up to fulfil His purposes.  Understanding this stewardship, Job could say, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21) after he was told the news of his children’s deaths. Job’s children were not for Job. They were at God’s disposal, even when it comes to their existence.

Bringing up covenantal children. Why do we not baptise children of unbelieving parents? Because unbelievers will never bring up their children for God.  But sadly, many Christian parents bring up children, like unbelieving parents, to love and serve themselves above God. They use the 5^th commandment to emotionally blackmail their children to love them, when the commandment is given so that children will obey their parents to love and obey God when parents tell them to do so. God fully expects a Christian parent to return the child He has placed in their hands for His use, not for parents keep them for their own use. The LORD marks out the child with His familial care, and parents have the duty to honour His wishes, not yours! This is applicable in every aspect and age of the child’s life.  If this was not so, then God could not judge Eli specifically for honouring his sons above God (1Sa 2:29), and to let them do as they wished instead of ensuring they did what God expected of them. This also means that, as stewards, God holds the parents accountable for how they have dispensed their duty.

Children in the Kingdom of God. You bring up children in order that they live for and serve God as their only priority in life. And you should be glad, not feel sidelined, when they do. Parents, when they prioritise God over you, you should not make them feel that they have removed you from the centre of their activities or attention and have relegated you to a place of less influence. Instead, you should rejoice that you fulfilled your stewardship well when they have God as their only priority because Matthew 6:33 has become a reality in them. Remember, God often speaks of Himself in His Kingdom as a householder who will ask his servants to give an account of their stewardship. Many parables tell of a time when the householder will return to have the servants account for what they have been given. Dear Christian parent, do you realise that this will happen to you one day – that you will give an account to God before the Bema throne judgement for how you have exercised your stewardship over the child placed in your home? So, the judgement is not just for what you have done individually about your own life. The Bema seat judgement will also be for how faithful you have been to nurture the child He has placed in your home to do all things according to God’s will. Salvation is not within our control because it is at God’s predestination and election. However, all that we do in our duty to bring up godly seed – in the choices we make and the examples we set, will all one day be judged.

Examples speak louder than words to your child when it comes to influencing them. What is their love for God like, interest in God’s Word, obedience to God, and character like? Eli failed to rein in the sons God put in his care. The end for both him and the children was horrendous. God graciously had it recorded for our learning. Hence, it will be so much more fearful if our negligence has contributed to our child’s lack of interest in God. Meditate on this thought, because what you do, say, and show in your homes in your upbringing will one day be made manifest:

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1Co 3:13-15)

Yours in our Lord’s service,
Pastor